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Posted on: March 9, 2016

16-008 Celebrate Festival of Colors at Lake Sammamish State Park

Annual Holi Festival ushers in spring

Updated March 21, 2016

OLYMPIA – March 9, 2016 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Folk and Traditional Arts Program invites the public to celebrate spring at the 2016 Holi Celebration—the Festival of Colors—at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah.

The annual celebration runs from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 26, at Lake Sammamish State Park, 2000 NW Sammamish Road in Issaquah. (Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/usC5iUo4rvn) The ticketed event will include family-friendly play with colored powders, a DJ with Bollywood music, vegetarian food and traditional Indian music and dance.

Tickets for the Holi Festival, which takes place in a specific part of the park, run from $12 to $23 and are available in advance at http://pranaamindia.net or at the park on the day of the event.

A Discover Pass will not be required for entrance to Lake Sammamish and other state parks on March 26, which is one of 12 ‘free days’ offered by State Parks during the year.

Holi is known as the "festival of colors" or the "festival of love." It has become popular with in many parts of South Asia, and it has gradually gained ground in the United States.

Holi is celebrated every year with great enthusiasm as a free-for-all carnival of colors, where participants play, chase and spray each other with dry powder and colored water. It is a festival that includes all ages, genders, classes and castes.

Eastside Friends & Family, founded by Menka Soni and Ashish Soni, has been celebrating Holi at Lake Sammamish State Park since 2012. This year’s event will benefit Amrita Seattle, a nonprofit dedicated to providing basic education, nutrition, healthcare and clean water solutions to underprivileged communities in India and the United States. The festival aims to promote culture and bring the community together to welcome Spring.

About the Folk and Traditional Arts in the Parks ProgramThe Holi 2016 Festival of Colors is part of a broader series of events celebrating Washington’s diverse cultures and presented by the Folk and Traditional Arts in the Parks Program. The program is a partnership of Washington State Parks and Northwest Heritage Resources, with funding provided by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Washington State Parks Foundation.

About Washington State ParksThe Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission manages more than 100 state parks and properties totaling approximately 120,000 acres. The Commission provides a variety of recreation opportunities for citizens and provides stewardship protection for a diverse array of natural, cultural and historic resources. State Parks’ statewide programs include long-distance trails, boating safety and winter recreation.

Support state parks by purchasing your annual Discover Pass today, and enjoy a whole year of outdoor fun on Washington’s beautiful state-managed recreation lands. For more information, visit www.discoverpass.wa.gov.